Film: Universal Language
Cast: Matthew Rankin, Pirouz Nemati, Amir Amiri
Director: Matthew Rankin
Rating: 3.5/5
Runtime: 89 min

In Universal Language, an absurdist triptych of seemingly unconnected stories finds a mysterious point of intersection. Director Matthew Rankin and his co-screenwriters-producers Ila Firouzabadi and Pirouz Nemati construct a collaboratively imagined city. For a dreamy ninety minutes, the mind can blur away the distances and experience the magical artifice of a space  set somewhere between Winnipeg and Tehran.

A snowy day in Winnipeg, a school viewed from the outside. Through one of the windows we see a disruptive class shouting loud in Farsi. A man arrives carrying 2 suitcases and enters the classroom. He is obviously disappointed by their behavior. He addresses the class - Can’t they at least fool around in French?